Chugger on my doorstep

[squashyhat]

I live rurally in the middle of a golf course and I've just had knock at my door. Thinking it was probably a delivery for a neighbour I opened it to a Great Ormond Street chugger on my doorstep. Is this a thing now or have I just been lucky to escape them so far? When I asked what he wanted he said "a cup of tea would be nice". I shut the door in his face .

GOSH charity arm aren't short of a bob or two. £100 million in the bank according to their 2022 annual report. They have a healthy income stream from the JM Barrie legacy.
i know they do good work but so does the children's hospital 5 miles away from me rather than 300 miles away.
GOSH is not ever going to be my charity of choice.
I did say this to a GOSH chugger who accosted me on my lunch break recently. He had no idea as it's all 3rd party contracted out.

It's irritating when people come to your door to ask for money but at the same time I don't think it's necessary to be rude to them. You can just say 'I'm not interested but thank you anyway' and most of the time they'll move on. No need to shout, slam doors in faces or any other theatrics.

They're people trying to do a job just like everyone else and deserve to be treated with basic respect in the same way you'd respect a cashier or a waiter. Granted, the contact is unsolicited but they're still people trying to make a living. If they're pushy or rude then by all means report them but otherwise, live and let live.

Also, chuggers don't work for the actual charity. They work for an agency and are often self employed or on minimum wage.

No one ever calls at our door - three huge black labs that sit on the front window sill during the day and are very placid until you walk up the gravel driveway. They then go off like rockets - it must look like you might have a death wish to burgle us.

Deliveries left in a space safe thing.

no chuggers here

@43ontherocksporfavor chugger = charity mugger.

We have them sporadically; I am in NE Scotland. One particular charmer
refused to take no for an answer. I asked him a lot of questions about the charity and how much of my donation went to them and how much he got etc.
He seemed very put out that I understood he was not a volunteer, and even more so when I said no.

I don’t like being rude to people , but if they won’t take no for an answer they deserve to have the door slammed in their face.

We get them every couple of months. I smile and say sorry, we don’t do anything at the door and off they go. Same as when people ask if we need a tree trimming etc. No big deal.

I hope I never have A GOSH chugger, they would get an earful about supporting the children's hospital, half a mile away. Thats not famous and doesn't get as much money or publicity!

Chugger is a portmanteau (charity + mugger) for anyone who has not heard the word before.

Some think they are talented sales people who will get huge sign up number, but are in fact so tactless they are the exact opposite. (Would-be The Apprentice rejects.)

Lots a posters on here seem to get really wound up and offended by Chuggers displaying a severe lack of resilience. Just say no and move on. Let any stupid tactless reply, if there even is one, from your rejection just roll off you. Alternatively, lie and say you already donate to the charity.

We live in a rural village and probably only get one every couple of years. We had one fundraising for St John's Ambulance once. DH was home (works for a charity) and answered the door. The chap was extremely rude to DH. DH was miffed by the guys attitude but when we got a phone call from our elderly neighbour who asked if we'd had a visit from this man he was absolutely livid. The man had been very rude to her because she wouldn't take her door chain off and would only speak to him through the small gap the chain allowed the door to open. She lives alone and it was after dark. DH immediately fired a complaint off to St John's about it. Did get an apology but I don't suppose any action was taken.

Thanks for the chugger explanation!

I think it’s really rude to slam the door in their face.

On the other side of the coin, as annoying as it is for them to interrupt your day for all of 15 seconds, they have to do that all day and it sounds a bloody horrendous job no one would do if they had a choice.

Just say no thank you?

I had the the same from a Red Cross one. “So you don’t care about people in the third world?” To which I replied “no” and shut the door.
the only code of conduct these chuggers abide by is to be as pushy as possible and to lay on as much emotional
youre kidding yourself if you think the charities care. They know how aggressive these chuggers are. But for them it’s a price they’re prepared to pay because of the amount of money they bring in.

I actually find Jehovah's Witnesses very nice and polite. I explain I attend the local Anglican church, we have a short chat and off they go. They haven't been round since covid though, unless I've been marked as a 'no hoper'.

I had one a few months back, thankfully I spotted them and didn't answer the door. First one in 18 years. JW, oh they used to come all the bloody time. Stopped since covid thank goodness.
I do get a handwritten letter every month from some religious women. It's long..think 1000 words. She pays to send them.

I think "oh no, I've recently lost my job, sorry" or "We already contribute to a lot of charities, can't afford anymore" Better than slamming the door.

I always try and be polite and humane to anyone doing that sort of thing, or big issue sellers, or beggars. A polite no thank you doesn't cost anything.

HOWEVER in central London last weekend, a chugger bustled right up to BIL who was walking holding my 5yo DS' hand. It was busy outside a tourist location and he was physically right in his face with his spiel. He continued walking alongside shoulder to shoulder absolutely in his ear for about 25 meters.

I was walking behind and watching closely because it was so busy and wondered if BIL had been targeted for some sort of distraction theft because he had a child with him. BIL went to get something out of his pocket so I intervened and asked what was going on. The chugger had a flipping card reader at the ready BIL was going to give him a pound to make him go away! I just said a very firm no thank you to the man with a look, (BIL had said he didn't really want to make a donation) the guy carried on with 'oh but...'. I literally had to say in my sternest fairly loud (not shouty but so other passers by could hear) 'leave us alone'.

How is that acceptable?

It’s intrusive and rude to go onto your property and knock at your door and hassle you for money. I don’t care if I appear rude by expressing my dislike for this.

🙄

It's not "rude" of the person answering their own door, FFS!

They don't want these people trespassing on their property in the first place!!

My little sod of a nephew signed up to work for one of these companies. It's not direct for a charity so they could be trying to get you to change fuel provider then working on a particular charity. It's a sales job, the person knocking at your door or stopping you in the street is simply making sales each time and trying to earn or work their way up to be like their recruiters so a bit mlm like. He ignored signs saying no cold callers etc and when challenged would say he was dyslexic. Skin thicker than a rhino.

The last one who came to my door was lovely and polite when I told her I don't sign up to anything at the door but she's an exception.

Came to my mother's house to find a chugger on her sofa. Mum was starting to deteriorate mentally so was particularly vulnerable to the charm of the young man. Even if they didn't know her capacity was questionable she would have seemed like a soft target.

I used to go out with someone who's father was a JW.

They are very organised. Every so often they would hire a bus, pack sandwiches and go to a rural area to reach more people.

I'm on their 'no call list' they still come down the street but they don't knock on my door any more.

OP complain to the charity.

My mother once answered the door to a woman who said, "I'm collecting for the National Children's home"

My mother asked her to wait, grabbed me and my brother and thrust as the poor woman.

43ontherocksporfavor · Today 07:47

Never heard the word chugger.

It's been around for at least 20 years, Newcastle city centre used to be full of them.

Whoever said they're on minimum wage is wrong. When it was £5 an hour, they were on at least 8. All the ones accosting me were students.

I got knocked by JWs once and straight away I told them how glad I was to meet them. I said how I was saved, and had been since I was 15, and talked daily with Jesus. I said I was torn between the JWs and the Plymouth Brethren. I felt the Quakers were too soft on sin. I also wondered what their opinion was about Saint Augustine's view that, if a literal interpretation contradicts science and humans' God-given reason, the biblical text should be interpreted metaphorically. I went on and on. They were an adult and a teenager, both in smart suits. I could see the youngster looking uncomfortable and the adult was giving me a sort of knowing look. In the end he said 'I'm sorry we have to go now!'.

That's "chunder"

A chugger is "a person who approaches passers-by in the street asking for subscriptions or donations to a particular charity". It's a portmanteau of "charity" and "mugger"

'Chugging' or 'Chugging up' has meant vomiting, as has 'chucking'.
Pre charity-muggers.

I just smile and say I've already set up a direct debit to whatever they're after.

I always feel bad for them and listen to the spiel before saying no thank you.
The recent Gosh caller caught me at the end of a very sad and stressful shift at our local children’s ward. I had spent the day with an oncology child so all the questions about children with cancer were just too much.
I was polite, but informed him I would be supporting my local hospital first as they have far less funding for our children.

The problem is though that they don't normally go away when you say " no thank you". They keep talking over you or have a little rehearsed speech ready that they think will draw you into giving away your details. Asking to come into a strangers house and giving up probably an hour of your time signing up to whatever charity is very rude. It's not just charity workers either, it's people trying to sign you up to energy companies etc, expecting bank details that don't take no for an answer.